Horse Whisperer
by Lady Lenore
Summary: The story of Onua after she was abandoned. my first fanfic. Please R
1. Chapter 1 Pain

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of Tamora Pierces characters. It's all hers._

_A/N: This is my first fanfic. It is about Onua and how she survived and made a new life after being left to die by her husband. Enjoy._

**Chapter 1: Pain**

Onua Chamtong slowly came to. Every pore of her body seemed to throb with pain. She looked down and grimaced at her bruised and swollen body. _That bastard_ she thought, and a few tears squeezed out her eyes and ran down her swollen face onto dry and parched lips. She hastily swiped the tears away. _No time for tears _she thought, and pushed her sorrow away to the back of her mind. Slowly and painfully, she pushed herself upright in order to look at her surroundings.

Onua was in a small valley. Tall, snow peaked mountains, their jagged peaks cutting through clouds, surrounded the valley, broken only by a small pass. A small stream cut through the valley and disappeared into the mountains. Tall swaying grass covered the whole valley, and in the distance Onua could see dense forest at the foot of the mountains. Onua scanned the valley and the caught her breath.

At the far end of the valley, grazing peacefully on the long grasses, were a herd of horses. They were mostly dun colored, and blended well with the brown grasses. But at the head of the herd was a magnificent stallion. He was over 16 hands, and was jet black. The only other color was a white star on his forehead. He was at the peak of his fitness, and magnificent to behold. Onua could see some black foals sired by their father. _They will be magnificent one day _Onua thought. All her life she had loved horses. But the K'miri Raadeh was a warrior tribe, and her parents wanted Onua to be a warrior, or a wife of a warrior. She had picked the latter, thinking anything was better than being forced to die for the sake of a battle that has raged for hundreds of years. How wrong she was.

Mekiri Chamtong was handsome, with jet clack hair and strong features. When he had asked her family to marry her, he had seemed to yearn for her. Although her family tried to talk her out of it, she agreed. Onua now knew it was hunger, not love she had seen. He was a cruel man, and when he wasn't in battle he was often drunk and in rage. Through her muddled mind she pieced together what had happened that night. Mekiri was more drunk then usual, and came back in a dark rage after losing a battle. He had taken his rage onto Onua. Brutally beating her, he accused Onua of sleeping with another man. "I have to teach you K'miri bitch a lesson." He snarled at her, and, putting a sack on her head, through her on to a horse and rode off. How long and in what direction, Onua didn't know, but she remembered the sack being taken off and being thrown on the ground. She then lost consciousness. _And here I am _Onua thought bitterly. But she pushed those dark thought aside. She couldn't think of the past, not when she had to survive.

_I am a K'miri _she thought stubbornly _and K'miri are built for survival. _Licking her lips, Onua decided water should be her first priority. Onua felt more in control with something to do. But standing up took more energy than she thought. Her head swam dizzily as she staggered toward the stream. Onua judged that the stream was about 6 yard away. _No problem _she thought, but as she slowly made her way toward the stream, it seemed much farther than she thought. At every step, her feet seemed to get heavier and heavier, and when she finally got to the stream, she was too exhausted to stand and had to lie down. She greedily slurped down water, almost chocking as she tried breath and drink at the same time. Finally, her thirst slaked, Onua stopped drinking. But as her thirst subsided, her hunger roared to life. Too tired to forage for food, she drank water to dull the keen edge of hunger. She then allowed sleep to slip over her, content knowing the horses will warn her of any approaching predator

_A/N: I wrote and posted this story originally in February. But I realized how much work it needed after ch3, so I decided to take it off and re-post it, with the corrections. So, did you like it? Love it? Please review _


	2. Chapter 2 Horse Valley

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tamora Pierces characters._

_A/N: I lost my Lioness Rampant (NOOO!) and I need to know whether the K'miri is in Tusaine or Tyra or what. Please help!_

**Chapter 2: Horse Valley**

It was noon the next day before Onua woke up again. She groaned and sat up. Her body had gone from black and blue to a mottled yellow. Wincing from pain, she stood up unsteadily and staggered to the stream. As she drank from the stream, her mind cleared. With it came the awareness of the hunger gnawing at her belly. Although the valley looked barren of all life, Onua knew there was all kinds of life, if you knew were to look. Since she was a child, Onua has been taught the survival skills needed in order to live in the parched land. Water was scarce, and Onua thanked the Horse Lords that there was a stream. Where there was a stream there were always animals that drank from the stream. And that forest would have herbs, berries and mushrooms. Onua briefly thought about killing a horse, but instantly abandoned that idea. She didn't want to hurt a horse unless she absolutely need to. Something tickled Onua's hand and she absently flicked at it before freezing midway. Looking down she saw an ant. _Food! _She thought joyously as she popped the ant in her mouth. Crawling on all fours, she looked around and her heart trilled with joy. There, right in front of her, was an ant pile. Her mouth watering, Onua found a stick and stuck it as far as she could down the hole. When she pulled the stick out, it was covered in ant. Onua licked the ants so fast an anteater would have been impressed. Onua did this over and over, until finally she was satisfied. _Not full, but at least I have food in my belly_ Onua thought. Already she could feel energy coursing through her belly. Onua stood up and made a complete circle, taking in the whole valley. Suddenly, a grin lit up her face, the first one she had in a while. _I have food, and water and horses _Onua thought. For once Onua felt like she was floating, no longer bound by the shackles of duty and marriage. _I will survive! _Thought Onua.

The hours slowly slipped into days, which in turn slipped into weeks. Spring slowly bled into summer, and the days became warmer. Since that day when she first woke up Onua had made many changes. She set up first a crude shelter made of sticks, then as she made snares and caught rabbits and the occasional fox the shelter became a tent made from various hides. She foraged for food in the forest, and her diet began to vary as she roamed the forest around her small valley. She fished in the stream for trout and set snares for rabbits and birds. She also ate bugs, mainly ants and beetles. After her first month she decided to make a crude bow for herself. After finding the right sized branch, Onua started carving the shape with a crude knife she made for herself. Onua judged it would be done in a couple more days. She had decided to call her valley Horse Valley. But not all the animals in the forest were as harmless as a rabbit or fox. The first night in her shelter, she heard the screech of a mountain lion. After that she spelled her camp nightly. There also was a pack of wolves living in the mountains. The first time she heard them, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She had grown up taught to fear and hate wolves. They kill livestock and eat human babies.

But as she healed on the outside, her mind was still raw with pain. Every night she had nightmares about her husband, and she would wake up sobbing and soaked with sweat. Onua began to find solace in the herd of horses. She would sit for hours just looking at the horses. Though they were first skeptical of the strange intrusion in their small valley, in the end they saw no harm in her, and ignored her. The stallion that first caught her eye was obviously the leader of the small herd. He clearly stood out with his beautiful black hide and white star on his forehead. Onua decided to name him Bain, after the god of the northerly wind. His main mate was a beautiful white mare. Where Bain was wild and raw, she was calm and gentle, watching over the foals and mares. Onua named her Chavi after the goddess of the west wind. There were also many foals in the herd, most of them sired by Bain. One foal particularly caught Onua's eyes. She was a young mare, with her fathers beautiful coat and Chavi's gentle personality. She was avidly curious of everything, and sometimes ventured close to Onua before she was hustled away from one of the mares. As her connections with the horses deepened, Onua unconsciously started behaving more horse than human. She woke up and slept with the horses. She would often talk with the horses, going through her plans on the future, such as new cloths to replace her worn gear. Sometimes she imagined the horses answered back.

One day, while fetching water to clear out the trench she dug, Onua looked into the water. It was a clear, windless day and her reflection shone back at her. She marveled at the changes a couple of months did on her. Her face was no longer speckled with bruises as it had been when she was married. Her face lost any fat and was thin and sharp. Large gray-green eyes looked solemnly up at her. But was marveled Onua was how free and relaxed her face looked, more than it has been for a long time. Impulsively, she let out a K'miri war whoop, her voice carrying across the small valley. The horses pricked their ears up but said nothing, thay were used to her strange behavior. Onua felt a bubble of laughter rising up in her and she laughed heartedly. Tears streamed out her eyes as she laughed. _FREE! _She thought _I'm finally free!_

_A/N: Well, that's the end of this chappie. I hoped you enjoyed it. In fact, you enjoyed it so much your going to push that pretty purple button and tell me how much you liked, or hated, it. Please review! . _


	3. Chapter 3 Danger

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tamora Pierces characters.

Chapter 3: Out of the frying pan, into the fire

Arram Draper whistled as he strode down the nearly invisible path. He led a small, shaggy mountain mare laden with colorful cloths and tools. It was a brilliant autumn day, and he whistled merrily. A slight breeze rustled his raven colored hair and he grinned delightedly as he felt the breeze tickling his face. "Ah, the road. This is the life eh, Star?" The mare just snorted at such folly and trotted faster, forcing Arram to run to keep up. "Whoa!" he said, laughter showing in his cobalt eyes. "We'll get to Tortall yet!" But despite his banter and easy, casual manner, there was a sword buckled at his hip, in easy reach in case of sudden danger. Despite soldiers at every outpost, he was still in K'miri land, and tension was palpable in the Sarain air despite the K'miri losing the civil war. Skirmishes appeared every few days, especially deeper in the plains. Renegade K'miri stalked the land, killing all people, even other K'miris. Arram didn't want to take any chances. Despite the numerous advices given from friends, he still went the short way. Instead of following the main road that went through Galla, Maren, Tusaine and Tortall, he decided to cut through Sarain, following the mountains that snaked around the border until he got to the Meren border. He decided it would be easier the cut through Meren and travel ship-wise to Port Leggan from Tyra. That way he would get to Corus before the winter sank its teeth. He figured he could make good money with his performance there. But he hasn't seen a renegade K'miri, though he has seen the destruction they wrought in villages and towns. But every day the temperatures dropped a little, and every day Arram dropped caution to make better time. Absorbed in his own thoughts, he didn't realize he was straying towards a lions den. He didn't notice that the mare had faltered, and he didn't hear the lioness growl before it was too late.

_Cliffy! You're all probably wondering what the heck this has to do with Onua. Ill get to that next chapter. Sorry it was so short, I only had twenty minutes in the library. The next chapter will be longer, I promise._

_Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease review! I really want to hear your opinion, good or otherwise._


	4. Chapter 4 memories

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tamora Pierce's characters. She owns them all._

_Thank you for the reviews. Can't wait 'till I get _more_ reviews!_

Chapter 4: Memories

It was a brilliant autumn day. The long grasses, brown and brittle from the dry season, rustled in the slight breeze. The valley was barren, the horses long gone. Except for one. She was a mare, still not a full adult yet no longer a foal. She was a magnificent black, with large, intelligent brown eyes. Besides her, against all odds, was a large dog. He was a handsome animal, with yellow, intelligent eyes and a beautiful silver coat. His ears pricked up with a sound a human could never hear. His gaze was drawn to a small dwelling. It was a simple shelter, half hidden in the dappled shadows of the forest floor. It had a framing made of long sticks, and was covered with various hides stitched together. The entrance to the dwelling was a magnificent white hide of a horse. Smoke rose from a small hole in the middle. The hut had the appearance of being lived in for a while, with herbs drying in the entrance. Fish, fowl and other small game was being smoked outside. Baskets woven from grasses were filled with berries, nuts and mushrooms. Magic shimmered in the air, warding against foxes, raccoons and other scavengers. There was movement inside the hut, and then a young woman walked out. She was short and stocky, with high cheekbones and intelligent, gray green eyes. She wore a tunic made from the hide of a deer and a large cloak made from the shaggy hide of a bear was draped over her shoulders. She had a small knife hanging from her hip and a small bow slung over her shoulder.

Onua grinned as she saw the wolf. "Tahoi!" she called. Tahoi gave a great wolf grin and trotted to his mistress. He had known her since he was a pup and had been rescued by her after a summer flood. To him she was the leader of his strange pack. Wagging his tail, he jumped up in his enthusiasm to greet her. Onua laughed. "Don't get too excited, were going hunting." Though Tahoi didn't understand most of the words said, he understood hunt. He wagged his tail even harder his whole body wiggled in his happiness. Onua then whistled for the horse. When the horse came, Onua ran her hand along the beautiful hide, feeling the warmth of her skin. She remembered vividly how she came upon the horse.

_It was a clear summer day. Onua sat perfectly still. Her bow was drawn and strung, and every sense riveted on the deer in the clearing. It was old, and lean, but it was the hide Onua wanted. It had been too old to go with the other deer and had been left behind. It was so close. All she had to do was aim and… suddenly, a loud roared echoed through the trees. Startled, the deer fled, and Onua's arrow hit right where the deer was the second before. Cursing, Onua ran toward the valley, already nocking another arrow. She knew that roar anywhere. The K'miri hated and feared that sound. It was the sound of a lion._

_Onua's run turned into a sprint as she heard another sound, this time a whinny of a horse in mortal terror. But it wasn't just any horse, it was Chavi. When she finally sped into the valley, it was too late. Chavi lay on the ground, her throat tore out. Beside her was a young male lion, just out kitten hood. He was poised just above Chavi, ready to gorge. Onua didn't think just acted. Letting out a bloodcurdling war cry, she sprang toward the lion, using only her small knife. The lion jumped back, startled by this strange women attacking him. Onua managed to get him in the chest before he jumped back. Girl and lion circled each other warily. Luckily, the lion was not full grown and Onua thought she stood a chance. Dropping her knife, she slowly drew out her bow. Bad idea. The lion saw a chance to strike, and he pounced. Onua wildly drew and shot an arrow before he was on top of her. Onua grabbed another arrow from her quiver and stabbed the lion blindly. The lion roared in pain and slashed with his claws. Onua screamed as she felt his claws rake across her chest, shredding through cloths and skin. The, the lion gave a great shuddering sigh and died. Onua pushed the lion off of her and stood up. Examining the body, Onua found her first arrow lodged in the lions back throat. Stab wounds from her arrow peppered his face. She guessed the arrows slowly got deeper as the lion thrashed. It then pierced the spinal cord, killing the lion almost instantly. Onua breathed a sigh of relief. That was close, almost too close. She should be more careful before she tried that again. She looked down at her knife, suddenly realizing what a primitive weapon her stone knife she carefully sharpened was. _Chavi! _She suddenly thought, and she hurried to the horse's side. The white horse was dead. There was a pool of blood around her head, and it contrasted against her white hide, making her wound stand out even more. She had a leg broken in three places from an accident, showing why she didn't leave with the other horses. Whether this valley was just a breeding place, or other reasons, the horses left through the mountain pass early summer. Chavi had just been in an accident and her leg was horribly broken. Onua had tried to get close to her to heal, but Chavi would roll her eyes in panic whenever she got close and Onua didn't want Chavi to strain herself more than necessary. For a few days the stallion stayed with Chavi, but the call must have been too strong and eventually he left. Onua felt a sob escape her as tears ran down her eyes. But in the harsh reality of nature there was no time for grief, and, her hand shaking, Onua drew her knife and make the first cut at the throat. As her knife touched the throat though, a strange fuzziness filled her mind. Then, before she knew it, she was galloping, and her mind was saturated with fear. Run, run, run, that's all she thought of as she sped across the small valley that has been her home since she was born. Then, she tripped. Lights flashed behind her eyes as pain erupted in her legs. She screamed in pain and agony as fire burned in her legs. She could only lay there, helpless, as darkness overtook her._

_Onua blinked and promptly retched in the grass. _What was that? _She thought, shivering as she recalled the strange vision. Sometimes a K'miri, usually a shaman, got visions from gods. But Onua was no shaman, and had never showed signs of being god-touched. Scratching her head in puzzlement, it was then when something caught her eye. It was a small hoof print, to small to be that of a full grown horse yet too big to be that of a foal. **Of course!** She thought suddenly. **The foal!** She had assumed that the foal had been carried off by the lion, and was too busy to see the signs. Excitement coursed through her body as hope bubbled up. She followed the tracks until it stopped, turning in to skid marks. It led into bushes. There, lying in the bushes was the mare. Onua caught her breath as she saw the beautiful black coat, and two liquid, intelligent eyes. Onua could see that at least two of her legs were broken. "Horse Lords above!" she breathed. She decided then the horses name would be Mari. Just thinking of the name brought up sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her, but she pushed that aside for now. This horse needed help._

Onua sighed as she remembered the memory. "We've been through a lot, haven't we Mari?" The mare snorted, and for a second Onua could feel the horse's conscious, brushing against her mind like a light feather. Onua vaulted onto her horse, and, whistling for Tahoi, headed toward the mountain pass. Ever since she first rode Mari, Onua rode farther and farther out, sometimes even camping out overnight. Outside the pass lay the large plain that took up most of Sarain. Antelope and zebras grazed on these plain, and although she had tried, Onua has been unable to catch one yet. Farther out, near a water hole, a pride of lions lived. Onua always carefully avoided the pride, and the lion pride for the most part avoided her. Onua started heading the opposite direction, but then she heard a faint sound. It was almost inaudible at first, and Onua couldn't figure out what the sound was. Curiosity overriding caution, Onua turned her horse around and went forward. It wasn't until she was almost on top of him did she see the bloodied and mangled body of a man.

_I wanted to apologize on lack of elaboration on how she got the horse, why the horses left, and Chavi's accident. I was in a rush to get it all down. As for the vision, I haven't decided if it was just her horse magic or if she's god-touched. Maybe It'll be both. I'll try to update soon!_


	5. Chapter 5 A Touch of Healing

_Drop your Oboe: Now there is a good idea. I might try that. Thanks! _

Chapter 5-A touch of healing

Onua leapt of her horse and hurried toward the unconscious man. Judging by the deep gashes on his thigh and the bloated corpse of a half eaten mare, she guessed he strayed to near the pride. She was appalled at this man's stupidity. Who wandered into a lion's pride, even accidentally? Besides a huge gash on his thigh, he also had rake marks on his chest. He was lucky he even survived the attack. Onua thought that the lioness had decided to attack the mare instead of killing him. It was possible; she was plump and would last longer than a lean man. Onua hastily took off the outer cloak she made when the temperature started dropping. Cutting it into strips, she wrapped the wound on the thigh, tying it tight. While not stopping the bleeding, it slowed it down. It wasn't until she stood that she realized her predicament. How was she going to get him on the horse? He looked big, well over 6 feet tall, and way too heavy for her to pick him up. She could try to get Mari to lower herself. _But how do you ask a horse to lower itself? _Onua thought _their not human, and I don't know horse. Or do I? _There had been times were Onua could have sworn sometimes that the horse knew everything she was saying, and sometimes she even thought **she **knew what Mari was saying. She hesitantly went up to the horse, and, laying her head gently against Mari's, asked "Will you help me Mari?" Gently nuzzling her hand, Mari lowered herself low enough so Onua could get the man on top of her. Onua felt tears fill her eyes, though she didn't know why. She wiped her tears away angrily, ashamed that she was crying. She had no time for tears; a man's life depended on her. After a lot of effort and pushing, she finally got the man on top of the horse. She was glad he was unconscious; he would be in a lot of pain if he was conscious. Onua then started leading the pony back to the valley, Tahoi following close behind.

Back in the hut, Onua started a fire to boil water. Filling her leather pot with water, she put it above the fire. When the water was boiling, she added marigold petals. She then turned her attention to the man. Onua knew he had other injuries beside the main gash in his thighs and chest, but they could wait until later. First, she had to take his cloths off. But he was not wearing a K'miri tunic. She didn't know where the main seams were so she could cut through them. Looking closely, Onua saw he was wearing the skin of an animal. It looked like bear, but it was pure white! She looked for the seams and found them down the side. Taking her knife, she cut through them and peeled his tunic and leggings. Underneath he wore **more **clothes, this time a cotton shirt and trousers. _How many layers of clothes did this man wear! _Onua thought. After cutting through the next layer, she was relieved to find no more layers of clothes. Instead there was only a loincloth. Then she checked the wound. It was still bleeding but it wasn't pumping. She carefully applied pressure to the leg while softly cleaning the wound with rabbit skin soaked in an infusion of marigold petals. She then sprinkled geranium root on the wound.

Still applying pressure to the leg, Onua rinsed comfrey root in water to clean it. She then chewed it into a pulp and spat it into the marigold petal solution to use as a poultice on the wound. The muscle was to torn to bandage it so Onua sewed it closed with a needle made from the small bone of a bird and string from sinew. She then made a put the comfrey root poultice on the wound and bandaged it with soft leather. She then washed the rest of the wounds, taking special care on the wound on his chest. It was then when she sat back and rested. When he woke up, she will have to give him medicine, but for now he is fine. Onua observed the man with a keen interest. He looked different from the men of her tribe. The men of the K'miri were for the most part short and compact, with flat features and a skin color varying from a light brown to deep, almost black chestnut color. This man was pale compared to K'miri standards, with curly raven colored hair. His eyes were not slanted, but almond shaped, with long lashes. Most women would have thought him handsome, with his thick lashes and broad, muscular build. But in K'miri standards he was quite ugly. He was too tall and his face features were ugly to Onua, who grew up almost never seeing foreigners and whose idea of handsome is much different than those of the west.

Leaning against the wall of the small hut, Onua closed her eyes. It was a calm, cool night and she felt herself being lulled into sleep.

_Onua was on a broad path. In front of her the path split two ways. One path led into the small valley she knew, and the path was clear and sunny. The second path led to a city. It was on top of a hill and was surrounded by a river. The path toward this city was twisted and dark, and Onua sensed deep pain emitting from it. She instinctively made for the path to the valley, but she was blocked by a figure. It was a woman at the height of her life. She was a deep chestnut color, with thick black hair that hung down to her waist. She was naked, but a silver fire wrapped around her torso. At her waist, human turned into horse. It was a beautiful silver horse several times bigger than a normal horse. In one hand she had a gilded horn; in the other she had a large bow the size of her body. Her face was almost painful to look at. It was not pretty, but it looked like pure wildness. It was like the deep tangled forest and broad, open plains. 'Horse Lords above!' Onua thought as she reverently sank to her knees, 'It's Chavi!'_

**_Rise daughter_** _a voice spoke in her head, and Onua almost screamed in pain. Chavi's voice was like the sound of a thousand horses whinnying. Onua shakily rose to her feet. **You have a hard choice ahead of you daughter for you must choose your path**_. _Chavi pointed toward the first path. **This one will spare you any pain, but it can lead to the destruction of the world. The second one will lead to much pain, but in the end the reward will be great. Remember daughter, love and pain are inseparable. You must not fear love, for it will ease the path ahead. If you need any help, blow this whistle, and help will come. But it can only be used once, so only use it in great need. **Chavi handed Onua a small reed whistle. It looked very much like the ones she made as a child, but it was made from a material she had never seen before. **Now go daughter, for you are needed. **And with that Onua gradually felt her self resurfacing consciousness._

Onua opened her eyes. She was back in the hut, and it was as if no time had passed. It could have all been a dream, but even dreams take up time, and she could feel the reed whistle in her hand. She looked at the man, and immediately jumped up in alarm. The man was thrashing in his bed. She could see the white of her eyes as it rolled back. _Seizure!_ Onua thought in alarm. She held the man down until he calmed. Eventually, he settled into a fitful sleep. Onua breathed in relief and sat near the man, ready to rise if he needed any more medical care.

_Sorry I haven't been updating. I had a project, then a tennis tournament. I'll try to update as quickly as possible._


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